Description: Until the late 19th century, Lake Tulare was the second largest freshwater lake in the United States. However, as more and more water was taken from the inlets, the lake dried up. Since then, large portions of the former lake have served as agricultural land. Today, the lake is generally dry, with remains of wetlands and marshes. During unusually high rainfall or snowmelt, the lake resurfaces, as it did after floods in 1969, 1983, 1997 and 2023. In the past, it usually took more than two years for the water to be completely drained again.

Our rating: Since the rebirth of Lake Tulare is very rare, we wanted to have a look at the resurrected lake in June 2023. However, because the flooding could not be controlled due to the large amount of water, many access roads were flooded and thus not passable. Therefore it was very difficult to find a way to the lake. After a while of searching, we have then been satisfied with a few glances from a distance.